Liverpool close to £60m deal for Porto winger Luis Diaz – Paper Talk | Transfer Centre News

All the top stories and transfer rumours from Thursday’s national newspapers…

THE SUN

Liverpool are close to clinching an estimated £60m deal for Porto star Luis Diaz.

Manchester United are determined to sign Ruben Neves this month.

Manchester City are ready to offer their record goalscorer Sergio Aguero an ambassadorial role with the club.

Borussia Dortmund will make one last bid to persuade Erling Haaland to extend his stay with them beyond the summer.

THE TIMES

Britain and Ireland are close to dropping plans to bid for the 2030 World Cup and are instead aiming to host Euro 2028 after receiving advice from senior figures in international football that a bid for the FIFA tournament would be too risky.

Player welfare has been placed under the spotlight again after it was revealed that the number of injuries in the Premier League has increased by more than 10 per cent this season.

DAILY MAIL

Manchester United are facing an exodus of players that could hit double figures before the start of next season, with a staggering 17 players said to be unhappy.

Scottish football chiefs will consider moving games to England if restrictions limiting the number of fans to 500 remain in place with restrictions on matchday attendances costing clubs £1.5m to £2m a week.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has delivered ‘a clear no’ to the governing body’s plans for biennial World Cups.

Southampton’s new owners will resist the temptation to plot a Newcastle-style squad revamp following their takeover as they are happy with the way the club is currently run.

Senegal’s preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations have been thrown into chaos after nine members of their group – including three players – tested positive for Covid-19.

DAILY MIRROR

Mike Phelan has been tasked with unifying the Manchester United dressing room by Ralf Rangnick.

THE GUARDIAN

UEFA would welcome a bid for the 2028 European Championship from the UK and Republic of Ireland after hopes of bringing the 2030 World Cup there began to fade.

Rugby officials are still locked in crunch talks which will dictate whether the Six Nations and European club competitions can withstand the latest wave of Covid-19 infections.

DAILY RECORD

Scotland’s top-flight clubs were given a massive shot in the arm on Wednesday when they were advised to start planning for full capacity crowds as soon as the winter shut down is over.

Celtic are believed to have negotiated a deal with League of Ireland club Sligo Rovers to the tune of €150,000 (£125,000) for their talented striker Johnny Kenny.

THE SCOTTISH SUN

Dundee United and Aberdeen are ready to go head-to-head in a fight to sign St Johnstone No  1 Zander Clark.